Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Le Tour de France 2014 – Stage 17; Saint-Gaudens – Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d’Adet, 125 km. Rafal Majka Confirms

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HomeDiariesLe Tour de France 2014 - Stage 17; Saint-Gaudens - Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla...

Majka ConfirmsAnother great stage yesterday – Peraud takes a giant step, Rafal Majka confirms, Nibali consolidates, Konig stumbles…

After breakfast we had a wander round Lourdes; it’s one weird place – but I said that yesterday.

We decided against the finish col to Saint-Lary Pla d’Adet – dead end climbs are nitemares to get off after the stage and we figured that the action might just start on the Col de Val Louron-Azet.

We got up there in plenty time, claimed our spot and waited ’til it was time to grab our caravan swag.

It’s always good to have a pile of caravan cheesey things, micro sausages and cookies in the boot for emergencies – and lunch was in fact, caravan swag.

You know you’re going to feel sick after it – but what the hell?

It’s le Tour.

Rafal Majka
The caravan is coming! Photo©Ed Hood
Rafal Majka
Mmmm, spicy sausages. Photo©Ed Hood
Rafal Majka
Kiryienka is riding well in the mountains. Photo©B.Bade/ASO

Kiryienka was first man up, he was patently doomed – but Sky have to show the colours, I guess ?

If you look at how Omega Pharma QuickStep and Tinkoff-Saxo responded to losing their leaders – then compare that to Sky…

The break was a biggie, with some quality boys in there – Visconti, Majka, Mollema, Schleck, Roche, Van Den Broeck…

Rafal Majka
Schleck in the break. Photo©Ed Hood

It was going to be the launch pad for the sort out on the final climb.

Rafal Majka
Visconti grabs a drink, not a tow. Photo©B.Bade/ASO

Again it was Pinot and his F des J riders applying the pressure with the maillot jaune looking well within his limits and still with team mates there – Kangert and Scarponi.

Rafal Majka
Porte and Nibali in the group. Photo©Ed Hood
Rafal Majka
Taaramae finding it tough. Photo©Ed Hood

Fuglsang wasn’t there though, off the back, swathed in net bandages, head slumped between his shoulders.

There were ones and twos between the maillot jaune group and the big gruppetto where there wasn’t much laughing being done.

In the lead was Adam Hansen, he managed a smile for us and so did Jack Bauer.

Rafal Majka
Adam Hansen smiles hello. Photo©Ed Hood

We caught the action of the final climb in a wee roadside bar – ‘savage’ doesn’t do it justice.

On paper not a lot changed in the top 10 with the top six positions remaining unchanged.

Nibali leads by a country mile – 5:26 from Valverde who has just 34 seconds on Pinot and 42 seconds on Peraud whose dogged hanging on to the Italian in the finale means he’s within reach of Valverde in Saturday’s chrono.

Rafal Majka
Valverde is metering his efforts rather than responding to every French attack. Photo©B.Bade/ASO

But that could all change again today on the road to Hautacam ?

Peraud and Bardet couldn’t have a better manager behind them though; AG2R’s Vincent Lavenu was a pro for nine years with stage wins in the Tour of Portugal and Route du Sud.

He’s been in team management at varying levels for 23 years with eight different names on the jersey – AG2R since 1997 – with 161 different coureurs through his hands.

Jean-Francois Bernard, Jacky Durand, Christophe Moreau, Pascal Richard and Nicolas Roche to name but a few.

He’s been behind 395 victories, including 13 Tour stages and 16 days in yellow.

Not a bad palmares…

Rafal Majka
Beautiful mountains. Photo©Ed Hood

Big loser on the day was Kwiatkowski who plummeted from ninth @ 11:28 to 20th @ 36:41.

Leo Konig slipped too, from seventh @ 9:32 to ninth @ 12:40 but could well make time again, today.

We’re on the Tourmalet as I write this, so best get looking for them photo ops.

A demain.

Rafal Majka
Cheerio! See you tomororow! Photo©Ed Hood
Ed Hood
Ed Hood
Ed's been involved in cycling for over 50 years. In that time he's been a successful time triallist, a team manager and a sponsor of several teams and clubs. He's also a respected and successful coach and during the winter months was often working in the cabins at the Six Days for some of the world's top riders. Ed remains a massive fan of the sport and couples his extensive contacts with an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the minutiae and the history of our sport. In February 2023 however, our dear friend and beloved colleague Ed suffered a devastating stroke and faces an uncertain future; Ed has lost his ability to speak, to read, and has lost movement on the right side of his body. He's working with speech and physical therapists on rehabilitation, but all strokes are different and each patient responds differently, so unfortunately recovery is one day at a time. Ed ran his own business installing windows, and will probably not be able to work again. Please consider joining us to make a contribution to Ed's GoFundMe page to help stabilise and secure his future.

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